Zach McKenzie usually hated to move to a new house.

However, Zach thought this move was pretty cool. It wasn't everyday that you moved into the White House.

All it took, Zach thought, was to have your Dad get elected as the new President of The United States.

He glanced across the lobby and saw his Dad--President David Hugh McKenzie--shaking hands with a bunch of guys in suits. One of them was the outgoing President, Lee Sammons. Zach and his family had been in Washington for two days and he had come to the conclusion that government work consisted mainly of shaking hands with men in suits. That was pretty much all he'd seen his Dad do.

Zach understood that his Dad wasn't going to have a lot of time to hang out. The whole family had discussed it before the campaign. Everybody knew the sacrifice that had to be made if Dad was going to get elected. And Zach was glad his Dad won. He would make a great leader and he would help a lot people.

Now all Zach had to do was find some way to keep busy. He wouldn't start school again for a few more days. Thinking about school made Zach a little sad. He was going to miss seeing his friends everyday, though Dad said Bobby, Charlie and Josh could come to the White House for visits. It wouldn't be the same, though.

Josh wanted somebody to play football with out on the lawn. He had a Secret Service agent assigned to his protection, but Zach didn't think Alex would play. Besides, the agent weighed 300 pounds. Zach weighed 80. That would be a short game of football.

Maybe he could explore the White House.

Zach slipped away from the crowd and entered a hallway. Immediately, he felt the large hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Where you off to, little man?"

Zach sighed. "Just looking around, Alex."

The large agent brought his hand close to his mouth and said, "I have Tadpole in custody."

Zach hated his Secret Service codename.

"You have to stop running off, Zach," Alex said. "I'm here for your protection."

"What are you protecting me from?" Alex said. "We're in the White House. Isn't this, like, one of the safest places in the world?"

Alex merely looked at him.

"Okay," Zach sighed. "I think I want to go to my room for a while."

The Secret Service Agent led Zach to his room. After the door was closed, Zach sat on his bed. He knew Alex was standing just outside the door.

"Is this what the next fours years will be like?" he said to himself. "Will I be a prisoner the whole time?"

"Naw," a voice from behind him said. "You just gotta learn the ropes."

Zach nearly fell off the bed in his haste to turn around. A boy his own age leaned against the wall. His hands were in the pockets of his pants. He smiled at Zach.

"How did you get in here?" Zach asked. Suddenly he was grateful for the Secret Service agent parked outside his door. He wondered if he should yell for Alex to come in.

As if he could read his mind, the strange boy said, "I ain't gonna hurt you."

"How…how did you get in here?" Zach said.

The boy shrugged. "I just know my way around."

"Who are you?"

"Willie," the boy said. "And you're the new kid, right?"

"My name's Zach. Zach McKenzie."

"You know, it's been a while since a president had a kid my age. We might have some real fun."

"Around this place?" Alex said. He snorted. "If there's any fun here, they sure keep it hidden."

"Yeah, they do," Willie said. "You just have to know where to look."

Zach realized that he might have a chance to make a new friend in Washington. "So how do you know this? Do you live here?"

"I've been here along time," Willie said.

"That's not much of an answer," Zach said. "Do your parents work in the White House?"

"Not any more," Willie said. He looked sad, so Zach decided not to press the issue.

"So how about showing me some of the fun stuff," he said.

Willie brightened. "You sure you're ready for it?"

"More than ready," Zach said.

"Okay," Willie said.

He turned and walked though the wall.

Zach stood in shock.

After a moment, Willie's head popped out of the wall. "So, you coming?"

"How...how..." Alex said.

Willie looked down at the surface of the wall. He grinned. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you can't do this. Press the left corner of that bookcase."

The bookcase in Zach's room was very old. When his family moved in, he had stacked his comic books on it. He stepped toward it, and pushed against the upper corner of the wood. He heard a click, and the bookcase swung away from the wall, revealing a doorway.

He crouched and stepped through the opening. He saw a staircase going down. Lights on the walls made it easy to see Willie standing a few steps below him.

"Hurry," Willie said. "You don't want to miss this."

Zach swallowed. "Are you...a ghost?" he said.

"Boy, they raise 'em smart where you come from. Now close the door, and let's go."

Zach saw a handle on the back of the bookcase. He pulled it closed.

As he started down the steps, he thought: A ghost. I've really been talking to a ghost.

"Come on, Zach." Willie's voice came from far below.

Zach hurried down the stairs as fast as he could. It took him several minutes to reach the landing where Willie stood. Zach figured he had descended several stories. He had no idea the basement of the White House was so far below the ground.

"How far down are we?" he said breathlessly, when he finally reached the ghost boy.

"About halfway," Willie said. Zach saw another, older staircase leading down from the landing.

"Is that where we're going?" he asked the ghost.

"Not today," Willie said. He pointed to the wall. "There's a door. Open it."

Zach saw a small handle painted the same color as the stone wall. He turned it and heard the metal squeal in protest. A small door opened with the sound of stone grinding against stone.

"Couldn't you have just walked through it?" he asked Willie.

The ghost boy smiled. "Sure. But I didn't want to leave you behind. It's been a while since I played with a flesh-and-blood friend."

Zach thought he should be more scared than he was. After all, he was talking to a dead boy. But Willie seemed like a nice guy.

"From here on out we have to be quiet," Willie said.

"Why?"

"You'll see." He stepped through door. Zach followed him.

They stepped into a dark, narrow passage. Zach felt his arms brush against the rough stone of the walls. "Where are we?" he whispered.

"The second most secret place in the world," Willie said. "Now be quiet."

As they continued down the small hallway, Zach could see a little bit, even though there were no lights. He realized that a dim glow came from his ghostly friend.

After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, Willie stopped.

"Here's another door like the last one. You have to open it," he whispered.

He stepped aside, sinking partially into the wall. Zach felt a chill as he reached past Willie to grasp the door handle. This handle, too, squeaked as he turned it.

"Easy," Willie said from his position half-in, half-out of the wall.

Zach turned the handle more slowly. The squeaking noise grew softer. Finally, the door opened. Zach pushed against it with care until it was the opening was wide enough for him to pass through.

He took a few steps forward and stopped. He was standing on a small balcony of some sort. It was made of wood and held two seats like you might find in a movie theater. In front of the seats was a railing. Zach leaned over it and saw nothing but darkness.

He noticed a faint light and realized that Willie was standing next to him.

"What is this place?" Zach didn't need to be told to whisper. There was a sense of importance about this room. He had the feeling that what he was going to learn here would change everything. Part of him--a big part--didn't want to know. Maybe it would be best it he just went back to his room to read some comic books and tried to forget about what he had seen so far.

Before he could act on his plan, the lights came on in the room.

Zach had to squint for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the brightness. When he could see again, he realized that this wasn't a theater. The balcony looked down over a large room that resembled a library. Every wall was covered with bookshelves, which reached nearly to Zach's position. And every shelf was filled with books.

"Duck down," the ghost boy said.

The door to the room opened. Zach kneeled behind the railing. He slowly lifted his head until he could just see over the edge. He saw two men enter the room. The first was ex-President Sammons.

The second was his father.

"That's my Dad," Zach whispered.

"I know," Willie said.

The former president led Zach's Dad to the center of he room where there was a small table and two chairs. A pitcher and two drinking glasses were on the table, along with what looked like some documents.

"Okay," President McKenize said, "is this where you tell me about the captured U.F.O. and where we keep the aliens locked up?"

"No," the former president said. "Somebody else will take care of that. This is even better."

President McKenzie looked at his watch. "You know, Lee, I have about fifteen inaugural balls to attend..."

"You may want to sit down, David."

"I'm fine," Zach's Dad said.

"Okay. Have it your way. Mr. President?"

"Yes?" President McKenzie said.

"Not you. Him." Sammons pointed toward the far wall where the air in front of the bookshelf began to shimmer. A tall shape seemed to step from the center of the shelf. It was a man, very dignified-looking, with white hair. He was dressed in a military uniform.

"Do you know who that is?" Willie whispered.

Zach, having spent some time around his ghostly companion, was able to absorb the shock a bit better than his father. President McKenzie sat down in one of the chairs, changed his mind and stood up, then sat down again. He never took his eyes off the apparition.

The new figure was a familiar one that Zach had seen in books and on money.

"It's George Washington," he whispered.

"Is this some kid of trick?" President McKenzie said. His voice sounded hoarse. "Is this a hologram or some other special effect?"

Sammons laughed. "Not at all. It's my final duty. I'm obligated to introduce you to the greatest resource the President of the United States has at his disposal. We call it Department Z."

"A ridiculous name," the ghost of the first president said. Like the man's appearance, Washington's voice was powerful.

"He likes to argue," Sammons said.

"Debate," George Washington said, "allow a people to strengthen the foundation of all beliefs and principles."

"What is this?" Zach's father asked.

"This is where you go when you don't know what to do," ex-President Sammons said. "Department Z is the greatest strength of the presidency."

"Let me get this straight," President McKenzie said. "When I don't know what to do about a terrorist country with a nuclear missile I come down here and...talk to the ghost of George Washington."

Washington laughed. So did Sammons.

"Not just Washington," Sammons said.

It was the most incredible thing Zach had ever seen.

Light began to leak from all of the bookshelves The light took shape. And the ghosts of men walked out of the shelves and stood all around his father. Zach recognized them, from paintings and books and movies.

They were the Presidents of the United States.

All of them, the ones who were no longer living. They were gathered here, far beneath the White House.

He recognized Jefferson and Lincoln and both Roosevelts. He saw Kennedy and Eisenhower and Harry Truman. Some looked quite serious, some smiled.

"It's really somethn', aint it?" Willie whispered.

Zach nodded. He didn't know what to say.

Below, his father stood up. He slowly turned in a circle, only stopping when he had looked carefully at each ghost.

"Gentlemen," he said in a firm voice, "it is indeed an honor to be in your presence."

The ghost of Abraham Lincoln stepped forward. He removed his tall hat and held it at his side. "We are likewise honored to know you, David McKenzie."

"And to welcome you into the office we all have shared," George Washington added.

"We are here to aid you, if you require it," Franklin Delano Roosevelt said. He was standing. Zach remembered that Roosevelt had used a wheelchair when he was president. He guessed that ghosts had little need for wheelchairs. "While times and technology change, man does not. I think you'll find that our counsel can be helpful."

Zach slid down into a sitting position in the balcony. He didn’t think his mind could absorb anymore surprises.

Ghosts really existed. And the ghosts of the presidents were going to help his Dad take care of the people of the United States.

"Unbelievable," he said.

"That's the way I felt the first time I saw it," Willie said.

Zach started to ask Willie about that first time, but he heard his father's voice. Zach peered over the railing again.

"So when I need you I just come down here and you guys will appear?"

Ex-President Sammons handed President McKenzie the folder from the desk. "Here, David. Some bedtime reading. It's the history of Department Z. It should answer all your questions. If it doesn't, well, you have my number."

Zach's father accepted the folder from Sammons. He looked around again at the ghosts and at the shelves that went to the ceiling. "And what are all these books?" he asked.

The ghost of President John F. Kennedy stepped forward. "It's all the stuff that's not in the history books," he said in his New England accent.

"It's the facts we could never tell the American people," Harry Truman said. "There are scarier things than ghosts out there, you know."

"But that's why you have Department Z," Sammons said.

Zach's father sat down once more. "I've got a lot to think about," he muttered.

High above in the balcony Zach whispered, "Me, too."

He turned to Willie. "Wait a minute. You said this was the second most secret place in the world. What's the first?"

"Oh, yeah," Willie said. "That's further down. It's called-"

"Don't you think he's learned enough for one day?" The voice was soft. There was a hint of sadness in it.

Both boys turned and saw the figure that had spoken. The tall hat was back on his head and there was a stern expression on his face.

"Aw, Pa, I didn't mean nothin'. Zach here's my new pal and I was just..."

"William Wallace Lincoln, you were giving this young man more to worry about. Can't you see the day's events have taken their toll on him?"

Zach did feel a bit light headed. He thought a nap might be nice.

"Wait a minute," he said. "You said William Wallace Lincoln." He looked at Willie. "You're...he's..."

"He's my pa," Willie said.

"I've been hanging out with the son of Abe Lincoln?"

"Yeah," "Willie said. "You want to get together later and play?"

President Lincoln took Willie by the arm. "It's time to go, son."

"But, Pa..."

"We need to have a discussion about who you may reveal yourself to. Come along."

The two ghosts walked to the wall.

"Wait," Zach said.

They turned to face him. President Lincoln looked impatient. Willie seemed to think he was in trouble

"President Lincoln, sir, I can't believe I'm talking to you. I just wanted to tell you what an honor it is to meet you," Zach said. "And, well, I guess I wanted to say that I hope you aren't too hard on Willie. It has to be pretty lonely being a kid in the White House for all these years. Maybe he just needs a friend. Like I do."

Lincoln didn't speak for a moment. Zach felt his stomach tighten up.

"Young Mr. McKenzie," he finally said. "What you say has merit. I will take it under advisement." He paused and looked at Zach. "Your parents seemed to have raised a fine young man."

"Thank you, sir."

Lincoln nodded. He turned and walked through the wall. Willie hesitated.

"Thanks, Zach," he said. "I'll see you soon."

Lincoln's arm materialized from the wall, grabbed Willie and pulled him through.

"Is someone up there?" It was his Dad's voice. Zach dropped to the floor.

"It was probably one of the ghosts," Sammons said. "They roam about the place. Restless, I suppose. I guess I'll find out one day."

It was then that Zach understood that his father would eventually be part of Department Z. The thought gave him another chill.

He listened for his Dad and Sammons to leave the room, and then he opened the stone door and slipped into the passageway. He found the staircase and climbed back to his room. He had just closed the secret bookcase entrance when there was a knock at his door.

The door opened and his father stepped into the room.

"So how's your day going?" his Dad asked.

"It's been...different," Zach said. "How about your day?"

His father's eyes got a far away look. "Not quite what I expected. Not at all." His father shook his head, as if awakening from a dream. He smiled at Zach. "Anyway, we have a big night ahead. But your mother and I want the three of us to have dinner first over in our rooms. That okay with you?"

"Sure."

His Dad went to the door, then turned back to Zach.

"It's going to be an interesting four years," President McKenzie said. He walked out of the room.

Yes, Zach thought. It's going to be very interesting.

The End

Mark Justice is a radio announcer and writer who lives in Kentucky with his wife and cats. He can be reached at markjustice77@aol.com.

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